Process of making tube mounted applicator

ABSTRACT

A process of making an applicator comprising a squeezeable container, a cap surrounding the upper part of the container and having an opening therein forming a valve seat. The cap has an inwardly extending flange on the inner surface thereof. A mounting ring is concentric with the container and has a groove therein and is force fitted in the container with the flange being locked in the upper part forcing a portion of the upper part into the groove therby holding said upper part, said mounting ring, and said container in assembled condition. An enlarged valve head connected to the mounting ring and located above the opening and engageable with the valve seat to close the opening is formed by heat and pressure after the step of force fitting.

llnited States Patent Schwartzman Nov. 26, 1974 1 1 PROCESS OF MAKINGTUBE MOUNTED 3,154,615 10/1964 Cooprider 264/242 APPLICATOR 3,438,5544/1969 Schwartzmun 222/496 3,506,162 4 1970 Schwartzman 222/496 xInventor: Gilbert Schwartzman, 20 Wilmot Cir., Scarsdale, NY. 10585Filed: June 19, 1973 Appl. No.: 371,407

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. Nov 244,561, April 17,1972, Pat. No. 3,794,213.

US. Cl .L 29/436, 29/437, 29/445, 29/450, 29/453, 29/l57.l R,

Int. Cl 1323p 19/00 Field of Search 29/445, 453, 434, 450, 29/437, 436,157.1 R; 264/242 X, 249 X; 222/107, 496, 212, 494

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Primary ExaminerCharlie T. MoonAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Kenneth S. Goldfarb [57] ABSTRACT A process ofmaking an applicator comprising a squeezeable container, a capsurrounding the upper part of the container and having an openingtherein forming a valve seat. The cap has an inwardly extending flangeon the inner surface thereof. A mounting ring is concentric with thecontainer and has a groove therein and is force fitted in the containerwith the flange being locked in the upper part forcing a portion of theupper part into the groove therby holding said upper part, said mountingring, and said container in assembled condition. An enlarged valve headconnected to the mounting ring and located above the opening andengageable with the valve seat to close the opening is formed by heatand pressure after the step of force fitting.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PROCESS OF MAKING TUBE MOUNTED APPLICATORREFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION-TUBE MOUNTED APPLICATOR.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 244,561, for TUBEMOUNTED APPLICATOR, in the name of Gilbert Schwartzman, filed on Apr.17, 1972, now US. Pat. No. 3,794,213.

This invention relates to an applicator and a method of constructionthereof.

In connection with squeeze bottles and squeeze tubes, it is desirable toprovide means for securing the cap and applicator as well as a valvemetering arrangement to the squeezable container in an efficient andrapid manner while requiring a minimum of handling and labor.

Further, it is desired that the assembly be selflocking so' as to holdall the parts securely in position. In assembly, twisting operations ofparts often require expensive and space consuming machinery so it isdesirable to assemble these applicators using linear movement of parts.

In the past, various types of applicators having value assemblies havebeen manufactured in which threaded arrangements or other fasteningmeans have been used to secure the parts together. These have oftenproved unsatisfactory because of the cost of parts, difficulties inmolding and necessity to do many of the steps either by hand orrequiring complicated turning or twisting motion to be applied on theparts.

The present invention resides in the concepts of the method of securingthe cap and the mounting ring with the valve assembly to the-containerin a simplified manner and wherein the mounting ring not only holds theparts in assembled condition but also carries the valve stem and valvehead.

The construction of this invention features a mounting ring having aspring pressed valve stem. The mounting ring is of a larger diameterthan the interior diameter of the combined container and cap so thatwhen force fitted into position with the valve stem extending through anopening in the cap, all the parts are securely held together.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside intheprovision of a tube mounted applicator and method of securementthereof, which is capable of being used in conjunction with squeezabletubes or squeezable bottles orlike containers that minimize the amountof steps necessary to secure parts together while eliminating thenecessity of any rotary motion being applied on any of the parts therebyreducing the size of the machines necessary to be used in automaticassembly of these applicators.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of thisinvention, which will become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, are attained by this process of making a tube mountedapplicator, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main elements'of theinvention shown prior to assembly;

FIG. 2 is a view showing a further step in the manufacture of theapplicator;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the applicator with parts thereof beingbroken away to show other parts in de tail; and,

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the assembled applicator shown inuse.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views,reference numeral 10 generally designates a container such as a squeezetube, bottle, or the like whose end 12 may be made fluid tight in anyconvenient and conventional manner. The open upper part 14 of thecontainer I0 is of a larger diameter than the inner diameter of a capgenerally indicated at 16 and is adapted to seat against the innersurface 18 of the cap. The cap is provided with a shoulder 20 forlimiting the innermost position of the container 10 and the cap 16surrounds the upper part 14 of container 10. A mounting ring generallyindicated at 22 forms another major element of this inven tion. Themounting ring has a substantially cylindrical vertical wall portion 24provided with a groove 26 therein and is of a greater diameter than theinner diameter of the combined container 10 and cap 16. The upper wall28 of the mounting ring 22 has an opening 30 therethrough. A valveassembly 32 is provided which includes a valve seat 34 and a base disc36 to which the valve seat 34 is secured and a plurality of he licalcoil springs 38 which are integral with the base 36 andwith the upperwall 28 so as to normally urge the valve stem 34 to a predeterminedposition. The cap 16 r is provided with a flange or tongue 40 which isadapted to urge the material of the .upper part 14 into the containerinto the groove 26 when assembled. The cap is provided with a dome-likeupper wall 42 having a tapered opening 44 therein forming a valve seat46.

In the steps of assembling the applicator, and with the upper part 14 ofthe container seating against the flange 20, the mounting ring 22 isforce fitted into the container 10 within the cap so that the valve stemextends through the opening 30 and the flange 44 and the upper part 14are jammed into the groove 26. Then, the portion of the valve stem 34extending through the opening 44 can be shaped in one or more steps byany suitable mandril which may be heated as indicated at 48 in FIG. 2 soas to shape the valve head 50 to a desired size and shape to engage thevalve stem 46 for normally closing the opening. The top of the valvehead is arcuate to lie flush with the arcuate top of the cap.

When it is desired to use the device, the container 10 need be squeezedin the direction of arrows 52 thereby forcing fluid in the direction ofarrows 54 upwardly and through the openings as indicated by arrows 56.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures.

' Iclaim:

l. A process of making an applicator having a container and cap, and amounting ring provided with a valve assembly including a stem comprisingthe steps of surrounding the upper part of 'said container with saidcap, force fitting said mounting ring into said container to lockinglyassemble said container, said cap and said mounting ring with said stemextending through said mounting ring and projecting through said cap,and then heat and pressure shaping the end of the stem of the mountingring projecting through said cap into a valve head. I

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of saidcontainer is forced into a groove in said mounting ring.

1. A process of making an applicator having a container and cap, and amounting ring provided with a valve assembly including a stem comprisingthe steps of surrounding the upper part of said container with said cap,force fitting said mounting ring into said container to lockinglyassemble said container, said cap and said mounting ring with said stemextending through said mounting ring and projecting through said cap,and then heat and pressure shaping the end of the stem of the mountingring projecting through said cap into a valve head.
 2. A processaccording to claim 1, wherEin at least a portion of said container isforced into a groove in said mounting ring.